Best Free Business MOOCs In February

Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace

School: University of Maryland

Platform: Coursera

Registration Link: REGISTER HERE

Start Date: February 6, 2017 (4 Weeks)

Workload: 3-5 Hours Per Week

Instructor: Dr. Thomas J. Mierzwa

Credentials: Dr. Mierzwa has taught at the University of Maryland for over a dozen years. As an adjunct, he has held courses in strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship, with his research interests including design thinking and opportunity recognition. Outside the university, Mierzwa founded a mediation firm (Creative Agreements) and an innovation auditing group (The Fountainhead Group). He holds a doctorate in strategic management from the University of Southern California.

Graded: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $49 fee.

Description: In this month-long course, students will study the innovation process, including strategies for using innovation thinking to commercialize solutions in both established companies and new ventures. Initially, the course will define innovation and how it creates value and re-shapes markets and business models. Students will then learn how to foster an innovation culture and spot opportunities in areas like product life cycles and value chains. From there, the course covers the phases involved in taking ideas into development. Finally, student will dig into the impact of technology, R&D, and benchmarking, along with how to leverage strategic alliances to move solutions to market sooner. As part of the course, students will also develop a value proposition and portfolio for a potential solution. The course will be taught through video lectures and supplemented with assignments.

Review: This course averaged 3.5 stars in 10 reviews on Class-Central.

Additional Note: This course is the first part of an “Entrepreneurship: Launching an Innovative Business” specialization, a four course series that includes a capstone project. To learn more about these courses and register for them, click here.

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